In accordance with recent technical innovation, a computer system of a versatile type called as a work station (WS) and a personal computer (PC), which is comparatively compact and low-cost and is highly value added and highly functional, has been developed and put on sale. This type computer system has been deeply prevalent in a university and the other research institutes, a business enterprise and the other offices, and further, a daily life of a family. Now, a most part of a daily work is related with a computer and many people spend the entire day touching a key board and a mouse.
The computer system is generally driven in response to a user input command and by displaying a processing result on a displayed screen, thereby offering an “interactive”, namely, a dialogical processing environment. Recently, the computer system is transitional from a conventional character based user input environment via a key board that is representative of a DOS (Disk Operating System) shell screen, namely, “a CUI (Character User Interface)” into a “GUI (Graphical User Interface)” realizing a graphic based user input. Under the GUI environment, a desktop in which the computer system is simulated and many icons are prepared on a display screen.
On the desktop that is offered within the GUI, all resources such as a file or the like to be handled in the computer system are presented as an icon. The user is capable of operating a computer intuitively and in an easily comprehensible manner by directly applying the behavior (for example, click and drug and drop) to a display object on a screen such as an icon symbolizing a program, data, a folder and a device or the like on a display screen by means of the user input apparatus such as a mouse or the like. In addition, a button for calling up various functions, namely, the computer processing in a moment of time such as a menu bar and a tool box or the like is prepared, so that a manner of a command input into the computer is becoming increasingly intuitive and easily-comprehensible.
As a result of introduction of the GUI environment, by now, the user can sufficiently operate the computer even if the user does not master a name and a command operation method or the like of a specific command and does not perform a troublesome key input. In addition, the computer can precisely capture the user input in accordance with the user's intension into the system.
On the other hand, in the daily life, a person often presents a gesture such as “body gesture” and “hand gesture”, with which his or her own feeling and intention are reflected. Such a gesture is one pattern of a message from another person, however, it can be also grasped as a command to be presented toward outside world.
For example, if an input apparatus such as a wrist watch or the like is provided, which the user can wear without uncomfortable feeling and which can recognize user's gesture such as “grip”, “release” or the like, the user will be able to freely input various commands into the computer merely by wearing this while walking around.
Conventionally, there is a technology to recognize displacement of a muscle by measuring electromyogram (EMG). Further, some propose to use the electromyogram as a input means for a computer.
However, in the case that the electromyogram of a human body is regarded as a measuring object, an electrode should be made directly contact with a skin of the user, and this results in imposing discomfort and physical and mental strain to the user. In addition, the electrodes should be attached at separate positions on the muscle (for example, in the vicinities of the opposite ends of an upper arm) based on its measurement principle. However, in such a case, it becomes troublesome to attach this input apparatus to the human body and it becomes difficult to compose the input apparatus in a natural manner such as a wrist watch.